Kayla McBride

Kayla McBride had a resurgence in 2024 for the Minnesota Lynx, earning MVP votes for the first time since the 2018 season. She serves as an elite secondary option to Napheesa Collier for coach Cheryl Reeve and is a savvy veteran who has adapted her game continuously to survive in the W as it evolves. McBride is one of the very best shooters in the WNBA and her performance this season helped take Minnesota to new heights. She even played a career-high in minutes this year in her 11th season in the league.

McBride is a completely unique player because she has found a way to contribute to every team that she’s ever been on, and she does so in a different way each year. She is a true chameleon when it comes to meshing with her teammates, as she will commonly do the dirty work and fill in the gaps of what her team needs. This year, her team needed her to play a significant role on the offensive end, and she shined. Her offensive numbers were better than they have been in the last six seasons, as she was the team’s second-leading scorer and third in assists. Not only this but she took a higher percentage of her total shots from beyond the arc than she ever has in her career, and nearly twice as often as she did earlier in her career. Usually, when a player’s best skill leaves them, they retire or fizzle out in the league, but her constantly evolving game has stood the test of time.

The most significant statistics to look at when considering McBride’s impact are her 3-point shooting numbers. She shot nearly 41 percent from deep in 2024 on 6.6 attempts per game, both of which were career highs. She shot a higher percentage this year on more attempts than she did in the previous year. She shot 62 percent of her shots from beyond the 3-point line and 98 percent of her makes came off of assists, which is a cut-and-dry way to show just how valuable she is. Her ability to simply knock down shots at an elite rate helped take the pressure off of Napheesa Collier and allowed the Lynx to spread the floor and improve their offense. A Cheryl Reeve-coached team will never struggle on the defensive end, but this simple offensive improvement skyrocketed them to the top of the league. The Lynx have McBride to thank for this.